Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-12-23

CIGARETTE GIRLS.
VERY LITTLE ROMANCE AND MUCH
WORK THE RULE AMONG THEM.

Keep Them Good.
The tobacco of which the cigarette is
af.er many days to be made comes to us
al most exclusively from North Carolina
Rr1 Virginia. 1t, is in itself a mild to-
bscco. and to make 1t milder yet only
ths four or five lower leaves are chosen,
Il strength of the plant, like that of
celery, for instance, deserting the lower
leaves and concentrating above. These
leaves come up from the south packed like
solid logs into immense hogsheads, but as
soon as the "handsn into which they are
tied are untwisted, they are put into a
steanf bath and softened and cleaned.
The steam rushes through them, big
brawny armed black men turn them and
toss them and then lay them in layers OH
the floor. AS each tankful is laid down,
one of the men takes u pail full of rum,
glucose and some few other improving
liquids necessary to give the right flavor
ing, and with whisk broom sprinkles
them thoroughly.
From this improving treatment the
leaves go into the trough of the cutting
machine. They go in loosely enough, but
when they are dragging by brass plate
chain through the smallest possible aper-
tuIe to meet the revolving knives the soft
leaves are pressed into q block like wood.
Standing in front of the knives and
watching the mist, which is all that one
can see in their 200 revolutions in a min
ute, the ever changing surface of this
shaven block of leaves is thing of mar
velous beauty. The four fianged knives
cut off innumerable fine shavings in q
minute, and the result Is q surface that
looks alive. The yellow stems and veins
change their relative positions on the
brown leaves with every cut, and. the re-
suit is winking, blinking mass that com.
pletely fascinates the beholder. The
knives arc stopped, and in the box below
is the shredded tobacco, exactly as we see
it in the finished cigarette, damp, it is
true, but that is necessary in the making,
and the over supply is kept covered by
wet blankets until carried to the makers.
Then comes the making. You go into
q large, low, light room, down which go
long benches which are partitioned off in
three foot compartments. On each side,
each at place of her own, sit the girls.
Before them are a stout bit of paper
fastened by the back edge of the table,
two pounds of tobacco and some packs of
rice paper A marble slab is at the right
hand and on it some Jumps of wet starch
ard long pointed stick With her left
hand the girl picks up paper, lays it on
the roLer with the front edge slightly pro-
jecting. With her right hand she picks
up the tobacco, not too much, but Just
enough, and puts it on the rice paper,
squeezing it little into shape as she does
so. Then she takes up the two corners of
both papers that are nearset her and lays
them over towards the back, then brings
them back, rolling up the tobacco with
her |humbs. as she does so Getting it
moderately firm, she changes to the tips
of her fingers and rolls it snugly, lifting it
tho while from the under. paper A
second and it lies along her left forefinger,
rolled but with loose edge. The starch
stick glides along this, another twist and
it is sealed and delivered, that is TO say,
dropped into the box edge of the bench.
The process looks exceedingly simple,
but it often takes q week of patient teach
ing and trial TO learn the many motions
correctly, and even then il is astounding
to think how many motions it takes to
make even a thousand cigarettes in day.
The maker of a thousand perfect cigar
cites containing neither four ounces more
nor less than two pounds receives seven
ty-five cents for her work. Does 1t seem
possible, then, that any one could make
OsOUO VI thGSG Ala ~ AA$AhAyf 0AAA gCO
they do.
After leaving the hands of the makers
the cigarettes are passed over to the cut
ters, who sit between aisles and with big
shears cut off the hanging shreds of to-
bacco from the ends These shreds are
constantly swept away by the little sweep
ers, whose duty it is to keep the floor al
ways in perfect order. The finished ci-
garcttes go next TO the examiners, who
run through the boxes, and, with the eyes
of ferrets, pick out the badly made or inn
perfect ones. In some instances fifteen
cents hundred is taken out at the end of
the week for cigarettes so badly made as
to be necessarily split open and made
again.
The boxing and stamping and the pack
Ing is work very easily imagined, the only
particular interest being in the rapidity
and automatic precision with which it is
done. And, indeed, the whole fascina-
ton of the trade lies in the lightning like
ninbleness which Is necessary to bring
about satisfactory result. The work is
clean and is said to. be healthy, the girls
themselves claiming that they have rarely
any trouble except with headache, which
Is very possibly caused by the fumes Of
tobacco, but very probably is nothing for
which further reason is necessary than
what lack of exercise and such close APP
plicatiOn to work can give.
The rules of attending TO the bushes at
hand vary considerably, according to the
factory. IN one leading factory absolute
silence is imposed upon the workers, re-
cartlless of the fact that if they waste
time it il their own loss, and the penal
ties imposed are exceedingly severe. If
seyenty-five cent girl Is caught whisper
ing or talking with another girl she is put
down to seventy or sixty-fiye cents q thou
sand. A second offense brings either q
further reduction or . solemn warning
or both. The third brings dismissal a
teacher or ACKNOWLEDGEMENT as the
girls call these lofty creatures-who IN
bends sufficiently to speak even 20 an own
sister otherwise tLan with the voice OF
authority is at once put down TO making
cigarettes again.
Nor do Tie fines and authority end with
lcaying the building TO 60 home. The
firm n1nnI0rg q dekecf4yn and any uumbeg